Wikipedia

Wildlife of Rwanda

Thewildlife of Rwandacomprising itsfloraandfauna,in prehistoric times, consisted ofmontane forestin one third the territory of present-day Rwanda. However, natural vegetation is now mostly restricted to the threenational parksand four small forest reserves, withterraced agriculturedominating the rest of the country.[1][2]

Photograph depicting four Topis on a hillside in Akagera, with another hill and a lake visible in the background
Topisin Akagera National Park

Geography

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Rwanda is alandlocked countryinCentral Africa,bordered byBurundi,Democratic Republic of the Congo,Tanzania,andUganda.It measures 26,338 square kilometres (10,169 sq mi), of which 26,668 square kilometres (10,297 sq mi) is land and 1,670 square kilometres (640 sq mi) is water. Its highest point isVolcan Karisimbiat 4,519 metres (14,826 ft), while its lowest point is theRusizi Riverat 950 metres (3,120 ft). Rwanda's geography is dominated bysavannagrasslandwith approximately 46 percent considered arable land and 9.5 percent dedicated to permanent crops. Grassy uplands and hills are predominant characteristics of theterrain,while the country'sreliefis described as mountainous, its altitude demonstrating a decline from the west towards the east.[3]

Left: The confluence of the Kagera and Ruvubu rivers near Rusumo Falls, Rwanda/Tanzania. Right: Volcanoes National Park (background) encompasses a portion of the Virungas volcanic chain, the last habitat of themountain gorilla.

A unique feature in the geography and geology of Rwanda is Africa'sGreat Rift Valley.As part of this rift,Albertine Rift passes through the Nyungwe forest. It is a mountainous feature that "as a whole, harbors more endemic birds, mammals, and amphibians than any other region in Africa".[4]

A rift valley is defined as: "A rift is where sections of the earth are slowly spreading apart over millions of years, creating mountains, lakes, valleys and volcanoes." Another feature is theCongo-Nile Divide.This mountain range passes through Rwanda in a north to south direction.[4]

Nyabarongo Riveris a major river in Rwanda, part of the upper headwaters of theNileand accounts for nearly 66% of the water resources of the country fed by a catchment which receives an annual average rainfall of more than 2,000 mm.[4]

The country has a temperateclimatewith rainy seasons twice per year, February to April and again November to January. Temperatures in the mountains are mild, though there is the possibility of frost and snow.[3]

Protected areas

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Left: Gorilla mother and child in Volcanoes National Park. Right: Young gorilla grabs tourist at Volcanoes National Park

There are only three protected areas established as national parks. TheAkagera National Parkcovers 108,500 ha,Nyungwe National Parkcovers 101,900 ha andVolcanoes National Parkcovers 16,000 ha. In addition the forest reserves are theGishwati Forest Reserve(700 ha),Mukura Forest Reserve(1600 ha),Busaga Forest Reserve(150 ha) and Buhanga forest and gallery forest in the eastern province (about 160 ha).[2]

Nyungweis the largest remaining tract of forest. It contains 200 species of tree as well asorchidsandbegonias.[5]Vegetation in theVolcanoes National Parkis mostlybambooand moorland, with small areas of forest.[1]By contrast, Akagera has asavannaecosystem in whichacaciadominates the flora. There are several rare or endangered plant species in Akagera, includingMarkhamia luteaandEulophia guineensis.[2]

In 2020,Gishwati-Mukura National Parkwas designated aWorld Biosphere Reserve.[6]

According toAudrey Azoulay,Director General ofUNESCO,in the Rwandan reserves, "species conservation succeeds when local communities are placed at the heart of the conservation strategy. Measures to protect biodiversity must go hand in hand with measures that meet the needs of these local communities".[7]In Rwanda, the cost of a visit to see the gorillas is $1,500 per person. Under Rwandan law, 10% of these revenues must be returned to the community, which represents around 10 million euros invested in the construction of schools, roads and drinking water supplies. In 1980, there were just 250mountain gorillas;today there are 1,063, 80% of them in Rwanda.[8]"

Flora

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Nymphaea thermarumis endemic to Rwanda.

The forest cover in Rwanda as of 2007 accounted for 240,746 ha comprising humid natural forests in 33.15% area, degraded natural forests covering 15.79%, bamboo forest of 1.82%, savannas accounting for 1.55%, large eucalyptus plantations to the extent of 26.4%, recent plantations of eucalyptus andcoppicesand 5.01 percent ofPinusplantations.[2]Montane forest, one of the most ancient forests dated to even before theLast Ice Agewhich has a richness of 200 species of trees, many flowering plants including the giant lobelia and many colourful orchids.[9]There are more than 140 species of orchids in the wildlife area of Nyungwe forest.[10]

There are four defined forest categories. These are the Congo Nile Ridge Forest, a natural forest that encompasses the national parks and reserves; the savanna and gallery-forests; forest plantations consisting of species ofEucalyptus,Pinus,andGrevillea robusta;and agroforestry areas in farmlands and also anti-erosion measures.[2]

The world's smallest water lily,Nymphaea thermarum,was endemic not only to Rwanda but to the damp mud formed by the overflow of a freshwater hot spring in Mashyuza.[11]It became extinct in the wild about 2008 when local farmers began using the spring for agriculture. The farmers cut off the flow of the spring, which dried up the tiny area—just a few square meters—that was the lily's entire habitat.[11]Carlos Magdalena, at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, managed to germinate some of the last 20 seeds; eight began to flourish and mature within weeks, and in November 2009, the waterlilies flowered for the first time.[12] A wild population ofNymphaea thermarumwas discovered in 2023.[13]

Fauna

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Main article:List of mammals in Rwanda

The greatest diversity of large mammals is found in the three national parks, which are designated conservation areas.[14]Akagera contains typical savanna animals such as giraffes and elephants,[15]while Volcanoes National Park is home to an estimated one third of the worldwidemountain gorillapopulation.[16][17]

Nyungwe Forest boasts thirteen primate species includingchimpanzeesandRuwenzori colobus.The Ruwenzori colobus moves in groups of up to 400 individuals, the largest troop size of any primate in Africa.[18] Twenty species of mammals reported byAnimal Diversity Webare listed below.[19]

Acanthocercus atricollison the shores ofLac Kivuin Rwanda.

Primates are the dominant species of fauna in theNyungwe Forest.The species reported areRuwenzori colobus,L'Hoest's monkeys andchimpanzees(largest concentration of 13 species).[4]Anamphibianspecies reported is thecommon reed frog(Hyperolius viridiflavus).[19]

Birds

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Main article:List of birds of Rwanda
Grey crowned crane in Ruhengeri, Rwanda

There were 670bird species in Rwanda,with variation between the east and the west.[20]However, as per the Birdlist Organization the number of species as per the World Institute for Conservation and Environment criteria are reported to be 711.[21]Nyungwe Forest,in the west, has 280 recorded species, of which 26 are endemic to the Albertine Rift;[20]endemic species include theRwenzori turacoandhandsome spurfowl.[22]

Eastern Rwanda, by contrast, features savanna birds such as theblack-headed gonolekand those associated with swamps and lakes, includingstorksandcranes.[20]Further, according to theAvibase,the globally endangered species are 9 and species introduced are 3 out of a total of 692 species as of 2012.[23] Balaeniceps rex(shoebill) andAgapornis fischeri(Fischer's lovebird) are also reported.[19]

Nyungwe forest is a designatedImportant Bird Area(IBA) by theBirdLife International.Thegreat blue turacois a very prominent bird species found in large numbers. It is blue, red and green, described as a "bird which streams from tree to tree like a procession of streamlined psychedelic turkeys".[24]TheEuropean bee-eater(Merops apiaster) is a migrant bird species in this forest area during the winter season.[24] [25]TheRugezi Marshshelters Rwanda's largest breeding population ofgrey crowned cranes.[26]Thestrange weaverand thecollared sunbirdhave been featured on Rwandan stamps.[27]

The list of globally endangered bird species, as reported by the Avibase data ofBirdLife International,are the following.[28]

Endangered
Near threatened
Vulnerable

Conservation

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The national parks and forest reserves are under threat due topoaching,invasive plants such aswater hyacinth,unauthorized livestock grazing,illegal fishing,bush fires, mining, bamboo harvesting, encroachment of protected land for agricultural farming, firewood gathering, be keeping and herbal plant extraction. This situation is attributed to governance issues lacking in legal acts and guidelines and also heavy anthropogenic pressure.[2]

Conservation management plans have been instituted for all protected areas which involves the community of villages in and around the protected areas. Conservation activities have focused on increasing forest density by planting trees in a "natural self rehabilitation and natural regeneration of primary and high value species". The planting has involvedCarissa macrocarpa,Entandrophragma(a genus of eleven species of deciduous trees) andSymphonia globulifera,and erecting protective fencing around forest reserves using leguminous thorny plants.[2]

One of the efforts initiated by the government of Rwanda was to increase the number of protected areas and to proliferate tree plantations to increase the forest area cover of 10% to 20% by 2020.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abBooth 2006,pp. 3–4.
  2. ^abcdefgh"Chap VI. Forest and protected areas".Official website of Rwanda State of Environment and Outlook Report.Retrieved19 April2013.
  3. ^ab"Rwanda".The World Factbook.Central Intelligence Agency.2012.Retrieved2013-04-21.
  4. ^abcd"Nyungwe Forest".Official website of Nyungwe National Park.Retrieved21 April2013.
  5. ^King 2007,p. 11.
  6. ^Magoum, Inès (2020-10-30)."RWANDA: le parc national de Gishwati-Mukura classé réserve de biosphère par l'Unesco".Afrik 21(in French).Retrieved2023-10-04.
  7. ^"On a visit to Rwanda, Audrey Azoulay calls for greater global efforts to protect the great apes".UNESCO.Retrieved4 October2023.
  8. ^VERNAY, Stéphane (2023-09-05)."REPORTAGE. « Les gorilles des mo ntagnes, c'est l'or du Rwanda »".Ouest-France.fr(in French).Retrieved2023-10-04.
  9. ^"Nyungwe Vegetation".Official website of Nyungwe National Park.Retrieved21 April2013.
  10. ^"Orchids of Nyungwe".Official website of Nyungwe National Park.Retrieved21 April2013.
  11. ^abMagdalena, Carlos."Nymphaea thermarum".Plants & Fungi.Kew Gardens.Retrieved19 May2010.
  12. ^'Extinct' Waterlily back from the dead,Australian Geographic,May 21, 2010,
  13. ^National Herbarium of Rwanda. (2023, August 27). An international team of botanists rediscovers extinct water lilies in Rwanda. PRLog. Retrieved September 4, 2023, fromhttps:// prlog.org/12981273-international-team-of-botanists-rediscover-extinct-water-lily-in-rwanda.html
  14. ^IUCN 2011.
  15. ^Embassy of Rwanda in Japan.
  16. ^"Tourism and Conservation Performance in 2008".Rwanda Development Board (RDB) (I).Retrieved2013-04-16.
  17. ^"Welcome to Rwanda".Anderson Wildlife Properties.Retrieved26 April2013.
  18. ^Booth 2006,p. 140.
  19. ^abc"Taxon Information".Animal Diversity Web of the Museum of Geology University of Michigan.Retrieved19 April2013.
  20. ^abcKing 2007,p. 15.
  21. ^"Birds of Rwanda, Checklist of the Birds of Rwanda, The Complete Rwanda Birdlist".Birdlist Organization.Retrieved19 April2013.
  22. ^WCS.
  23. ^"Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World, Rwanda".Avi Base Organization.Retrieved19 April2013.
  24. ^ab"Nyungwe Wildlife".Official website of Nyungwe National Park.Retrieved21 April2013.
  25. ^"A Refuge for Rare Birds".Official website of Nyungwe National Park.Retrieved21 April2013.
  26. ^"Grey Crowned Crane".International Crane Foundation.
  27. ^Eriksen, Jens; Eriksen, Hanne (June 1983).Collect birds on stamps.S. Gibbons Publications. pp. 268, 274.Retrieved21 April2013.
  28. ^"Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World Rwanda".Avi Base organization.Retrieved21 April2013.

Bibliography

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